Surgical access port and associated introducer mechanism
A surgical portal assembly includes a portal member adapted for positioning within a tissue tract and defining a longitudinal axis with leading and trailing ends. The portal member includes at least one longitudinal port for passage of an object. The portal member comprises a compressible material adapted to transition between a first expanded condition to facilitate securing of the portal within the tissue tract and in substantial sealed relation with tissue surfaces defining the tissue tract, and a second compressed condition to facilitate at least partial insertion of the portal within the tissue tract. The portal assembly also includes an elongated member extending through the at least one longitudinal port and mechanically couplable to the portal member adjacent the leading end thereof. The elongated member is adapted to move through the at least one longitudinal port in a trailing direction to exert a compressive force at least adjacent the leading end to cause the portal member to transition toward the compressed condition.
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The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/164,971 filed on Mar. 31, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to ports for use in minimally invasive surgical procedures, such as endoscopic and/or laparoscopic procedures, and more particularly, relates to an access port and an associated introducer mechanism to assist in deploying the port within a tissue tract of a patient.
2. Description of Related Art
Minimally invasive surgery is a type of surgery performed through one or more small incisions in a patient's body, usually less than an inch in dimension. Some advantages of minimal invasive surgery is that patients have less trauma to the body, lose less blood, have smaller surgical scars, and need less pain medication.
During a typical minimally invasive procedure, surgical objects, such as surgical access devices, e.g., trocar and cannula assemblies, or endoscopes, are inserted into the patient's body through the incision in tissue. In general, prior to the introduction of the surgical object into the patient's body, insufflation gasses are used to enlarge the area surrounding the target surgical site to create a larger, more accessible work area. Accordingly, the maintenance of a substantially fluid-tight seal is desirable so as to prevent the escape of the insufflation gases and the deflation or collapse of the enlarged surgical site.
To this end, various ports with valves and seals are used during the course of minimally invasive procedures and are widely known in the art. However, a continuing need exists for an access pot and associated introducer mechanism which can position the access port with relative ease and with minor inconvenience for the surgeon.
SUMMARYAccordingly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a surgical portal assembly includes a portal member adapted for positioning within a tissue tract and defining a longitudinal axis with leading and trailing ends. The portal member includes at least one longitudinal port for passage of an object. The portal member comprises a compressible material adapted to transition between a first expanded condition to facilitate securing of the portal within the tissue tract and in substantial sealed relation with tissue surfaces defining the tissue tract, and a second compressed condition to facilitate at least partial insertion of the portal within the tissue tract. An elongated member extends through the at least one longitudinal port and is mechanically couplable to the portal member adjacent the leading end thereof. The elongated member is adapted to move through the at least one longitudinal port in a trailing direction to exert a compressive force at least adjacent the leading end to cause the portal member to transition toward the compressed condition. The portal member may include first and second longitudinal ports having respective first and second elongated members extending therethrough and being attachable to the portal member adjacent the leading end thereof. The first and second elongated members are adapted to move through the respective first and second longitudinal ports in the trailing direction to cause the portal member to transition toward the compressed condition. The portal may include a third longitudinal port with a third elongated member extending therethrough and being attachable to the portal member adjacent the leading end thereof. The third elongated member is adapted to move through the third longitudinal port in the trailing direction to cause the portal member to transition toward the compressed condition.
Other embodiments and a method of use of the portal assembly are also envisioned.
The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Particular embodiments of the present disclosure will be described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in the drawings and as described throughout the following description, and as is traditional when referring to relative positioning on an object, the term “proximal” or “trailing” refers to the end of the apparatus that is closer to the user and the term “distal” or “leading” refers to the end of the apparatus that is further from the user. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail.
One type of minimal invasive surgery described herein is referred to as a single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS). SILS is an advanced minimally invasive surgical procedure which would permit a surgeon to operate through a single entry point, typically the patient's navel. The disclosed SILS procedure involves insufflating the body cavity and positioning a port within, e.g., the navel of the patient. Instruments including an endoscope and additional instruments such as graspers, staplers, forceps or the like may be introduced within the port to carry out the surgical procedure.
The port assembly in the SILS procedure may be introduced into an incision with a Kelly clamp. However, the Kelly clamp may limit the surgeon's ability to properly place a SILS port due to the limited length of the Kelly clamp's arm and handle. Furthermore, visibility may become an issue due to the presence of the clamp and the surgeon's hand holding the clamp. Removal of the Kelly clamp subsequent to placement of the port may also present undesired obstacles.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals identify identical or substantially similar parts throughout the several views,
Each elongated member 120 has a first end 122 and a second end 124. Elongated member 124 spans the length of the portal member 102. The first end 122 of the elongated member 120 is positioned at the proximal trailing end 104 of the portal member 102, while the second end 124 of the elongated member 120 is attached to the distal leading end 106 of the portal member 102. The elongated member 120 may be attached to the distal leading end 106 of the portal member 102 by any suitable attaching technique, such as for example, gluing, stapling and suturing. Further, the elongated member 120 may be made from any suitable material, for example, but not limited to, plastic, metal, and shape-memory alloy.
Turning now to
Portal member 102 may include a substantially annular ring 140 of spring material, such as stainless steel or a shape memory material. Annular ring 140 may deform or compress when distal leading end 206 of portal member 202 is compressed, and returns to its normal annular shape upon release of the first end 122 of elongated member 120, thus biasing distal leading end 106 to its normal state of
In accordance with the present disclosure, a method of introducing a surgical portal assembly is provided. Referring back to
In another exemplary embodiment, shown in
To introduce the portal member within the incision, e.g., in the navel, the first or inner end 222 of each elongated member 220 is pulled in a proximal trailing direction, depicted by directional arrow A, such that the second dimension D2 of the distal leading end 206 decreases to smaller dimension D2′. The surgical portal assembly is inserted into a tissue tract T of a patient. Thereafter, the second end 224 of each elongated member 220 is pulled in a proximal trailing direction, depicted by directional arrow A, such that the second smaller dimension D2′ of the distal leading end 206 increases to a second larger dimension D2, thus the distal leading end 206 of the surgical portal assembly 200 is substantially secured in the tissue tract T of the patient. Instruments may be introduced within central passage 208 or any of the longitudinal ports 230 to perform the desired procedure. In this embodiment, portal member 202 may also comprises a malleable material such that distal leading end 206 returns to its normal uncompressed condition in response to movement of second ends 224. Such malleable materials are inclusive of metals which may be embedded within the resilient compressible foam. In the alternative, portal member 202 be composed entirely of the malleable material.
While several embodiments of the disclosure have been shown in the drawings and/or discussed herein, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of particular embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.
Claims
1. A surgical portal assembly, which comprises:
- a portal member adapted for positioning within a tissue tract, the portal member defining a longitudinal axis and having leading and trailing ends, the portal member including a first longitudinal port and a second longitudinal port for passage of an object, the portal member comprising a compressible material and being adapted to transition between a first expanded condition to facilitate securing of the portal within the tissue tract and in substantial sealed relation with tissue surfaces defining the tissue tract, and a second compressed condition to facilitate at least partial insertion of the portal within the tissue tract; and
- a first elongated member and a second elongated member extending through the respective first and second longitudinal ports and mechanically couplable to the portal member adjacent the leading end thereof, the first and second elongated members adapted to move through the respective first and second longitudinal ports in a trailing direction to exert a compressive force at least adjacent the leading end to cause the portal member to transition toward the compressed condition,
- wherein the leading end of the portal member defines a first cross-sectional dimension when in the first expanded condition,
- wherein the first and second elongated members are arranged to cause the leading end of the portal member to define a second cross-sectional dimension less than the first cross-sectional dimension when the first and second elongated members are moved through the respective first and second longitudinal ports in the trailing direction,
- wherein the first and second elongated members are arranged to extend through the respective first and second longitudinal ports of the portal member, around the leading end and along an outer surface of the portal member.
2. The surgical portal assembly according to claim 1 wherein the portal includes a third longitudinal port, the third longitudinal port having a third elongated member extending therethrough and being attachable to the portal member adjacent the leading end thereof, the third elongated member adapted to move through the third longitudinal port in the trailing direction to cause the portal member to transition toward the compressed condition.
3. The surgical portal assembly according to claim 1 wherein the first and second elongated members are adapted to attach to the outer surface of the portal member adjacent the leading end.
4. The surgical portal assembly according to claim 1 wherein the first and second elongated members are arranged to cause the leading end of the portal member to move toward the first cross-sectional dimension when outer segments of the elongated member extending along the outer surface of the portal member are advanced in a leading direction.
5. The surgical portal assembly according to claim 1 wherein the longitudinal ports of the portal member are dimensioned to extend between the leading and trailing ends and are adapted for reception of an object whereby compressible material defining the ports is adapted to deform to establish a substantial sealed relation with the object.
6. The surgical portal assembly according to claim 1 wherein the portal comprises one of a foam material or a gel material.
7. The surgical portal assembly according to claim 1 wherein the elongated member comprises a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, metal, and shape-memory alloy.
8. The surgical portal assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a biasing element disposed at the leading end of the portal member, wherein the biasing element restores the leading edge of the portal member to a first expanded condition and is adapted to move the elongated member through the at least one longitudinal port in a leading direction.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Mar 8, 2010
Date of Patent: Dec 4, 2012
Patent Publication Number: 20100249523
Assignee: Covidien LP (Mansfield, MA)
Inventors: Heidi Spiegal (Hamden, CT), Gregory G. Okoniewski (North Haven, CT), David A. Rezac (Westborough, MA)
Primary Examiner: Alvin Stewart
Assistant Examiner: Lynnsy Schneider
Application Number: 12/719,085
International Classification: A61B 1/32 (20060101);